The invention relates to a needle protecting device for an apparatus for administering an injectable product or for sampling a body fluid. In one embodiment, the apparatus is preferably an injection apparatus, in particular an injection pen. The needle protecting device protects a user against injuries from an injection needle and protects the injection needle from damaging handling. In addition, the needle protecting device can advantageously also prevent the injection needle, which can be of any gauge or size, from being seen, and in such a development thus forms a blind.
An injection syringe comprising a protruding injection needle and a flexible needle protecting device is known from WO 96/11026. When the injection needle is injected into a tissue, the needle protecting device is compressed in the longitudinal direction, i.e., along the longitudinal axis, of the injection needle and thus shortened, in order to expose the injection needle. The needle protecting device is made of a compressible, elastic material and in some embodiments exhibits the form of a bellows. With respect to the injection needle, this needle protecting device exclusively provides a blind, but no protection against handling and injuries, since for compressing the needle protecting device, only the elasticity force of the elastic needle protecting device itself ever has to be overcome.